"Show Boat," a collaboration among Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II, and Florenz Ziegfeld, docks at the Ziegfeld Theatre. Its complex narrative and racial themes make it a groundbreaking show; songs include "Bill" and "Ol' Man River."

THE JAZZ SINGER, the first motion picture to include singing and dialogue, opens with Al Jolson in the lead role and revolutionizes the movie industry.